


Aftermath

by Reliant_Gamma (Blaze_Enderman)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Action & Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, I think i shoudl tag it as that, M/M, OC, Slice of Life, Suggest Some Tags and I will Add Them, after SBURB
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-06 20:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12825243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaze_Enderman/pseuds/Reliant_Gamma
Summary: The Game is won, and the Kids who fought for their victory can now claim their prize: a shot at a normal life. Not that anything about it is normal, but the still get to experience it. The Alphas, Betas, and trolls now live in the recreated world. They are treated like celebrities, but they have found peace in the three years after. This story is told from Jade Harley's perspective as she goes about her new life, but a enemy from the past will come back to wreak havoc on the world she and her friends had worked so hard to create.





	1. The Beginning

         Jade Harley flew over one of the vast cities of Earth C, watching as humans, trolls, and carapaces went about their business. 5000 years had advanced their society to a point far past where humanity was before the game. People regularly went on interstellar trips to distant colonies. Jade remembered when they had first gotten to the future and she had seen the spaceships flying over head, she had immediately sought out the scientist who ah designed them and interrogated them for hours.  She still remembered the look on the woman’s face when one of the creators of the universe had suddenly appeared in her lab and started grilling her about the design of her spaceship.

         As she flew over the sprawling cityscape, a small notification appeared in the corner of her glasses. Dave was messaging her.

 

\-----turntechGodhead(TG)  started pestering gardenGnostic(GG)  at 9:38----

TG: so do you think we are 5020 years old or just 20 years old

TG: cause i think it would be dope if we were like super fucking old

TG: it adds to the mystery and charm that all these peeps have built around usGG: that’s a really good question!!!!GG: i think we are just 20 though since we didn’t actually experience those years!

GG: but i totally agree, it would make us seem all the cooler than we already are

GG: should we start telling people that we’re 5000 years old?

TG: karkat is telling me to “QUIT BEING A PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLE. EVERYONE WHO’S THINKPAN HASN’T ROTTED FROM THE PREPOSTEROUS BULLSHIT YOU HAVE ALREADY SPOUTED KNOWS BETTER”

TG: so yes

TG: we should

GG: hahaha!!!!!

GG: tell karkat I said hi!!!

GG: i haven’t really had a chance to talk to him lately, i’ve been so busy in the science department.

TG: to summarize he said not to worry about it he understands the trapping of society

TG: that reminds me tho

TG: dont forget today is john’s birthday, and we are gonna surprise him at his house

GG: yep!!! i’m getting him something now

GG: hopefully it doesn’t get lost along the way again!

TG: yeah that would really suck cause youd probably go with it

TG: i gtg

TG: karkat is throwing a fit over the shitty cake we are making so i better go help

TG: see you at johns

GG: see you then!

\---- turntechGodhead(TG)  has ceased pestering gardenGnostic(GG)\----

         Jade smile as she closed the Pesterchum window. Today would be the first time since Rose and Kanaya’s wedding that all of her friends would be able to get together and she was extremely excited to see them all again.

Jade landed in an alley and dusted herself off, pulling her hair out of a pony tail. She walked out the alley and into the bustling streets. She had thought about flying directly to the store, but figured that might draw too much attention.

Jade’s ear twitched at the noises of the city. Cars honking and people shouting assaulted her. Her ears instinctively folded back against the racket. Suddenly, Jade remembered why she never came to the city. But she didn’t particularly mind today; she had to come in today to get… Jade regarded the multicolored bands on her fingers and tried to piece together exactly what she needed. Ugly sweaters! That’s what she was going to get. And a new phone for John. He’s been using the same one for the last three years, it’s time for an upgrade. 

Jade entered the store and picked up the latest smart phone. Went she set down the phone at the counter, the cashier gave her a funny look, but rung it up.

“That will be $612.89,” the troll cashier said.

Jade’s blood ran cold. Even after all these years, the concept of money still confused her. She had lived most of her life on a deserted island with only her stuffed dead grandpa and her omnipotent dog. She never had a use for money before. She knew she had lots of it, but never used it.

“Ummm… What’s that?” Jade shouted, pointing at some place behind the troll. The troll, however just gave her an empty stare and sighed.

“Do you have the money or not?” she said with a slightly annoyed expression.

Jade sighed and held out her hand, focusing on her wallet which she had left in her room at the lab. With a small flash of green, her wallet appeared in her hand. She quickly withdrew her credit card and swiped it before looking up at the cashier. Her mouth was hanging up in shock.

“Um, can you please finish ringing me up?” Jade said sheepishly.

“You’re one of the C-Creators?” she stuttered.

Jade nodded, feeling her face heat up. Behind her, she heard people murmuring.

“I’m sorry but can you please finish checking me out? I need to get going,” Jade said, trying to smile.

The troll cashier hurried accepted the purchase and carefully put the phone in a bag.

“Can I get a picture with you?” she asked as she gave Jade the phone.

“Sure!”

The troll cashier hurriedly came around the counter and pulled out her phone. She came up behind Jade and held up the phone. Jade smiled, hopefully sincerely, as the cashier took a selfie.

“Thank you so much!” the cashier said with a wide smile. Jade could practically see the stars in her eyes.

“Can I ask you to wait till tomorrow to post that anywhere? I don’t want to give away John’s present I got him,” Jade asked awkwardly. No matter how many times this had happened to her, Jade still wasn’t quite used to people randomly approaching her and asking for selfies or autographs or her chumhandle.

“Of course!” the troll said with sparkling eyes.

Jade thanked her, and dodged people other people as she fought her way out of the store. She took off at a sprint as people chased her from the store. She dived into alleys and doubled back and flew to roof tops to try and escape them. Finally, a half hour later, Jade rested on a rooftop, completely lost. She leaned against a water tower on the building, trying to catch her breathe. _Why are there so many people who could fly?_ Jade thought to herself. None of the humans were able to, but an annoying amount of trolls could fly.

A notification popped up on her glasses again.

\----tentacleTherapist (TT) started pestering gardenGnostic (GG) at 10:42----

TT: I see you dodged the paparazzi once more.

TT: I must say I envy your dodging skills.

TT: Although your fans will be disappointed.

GG: i have fans?? :o

TT: Indeed. Vast numbers of them congregate online to discuss your awesomeness.

GG: that’s crazy!!!

GG: although maybe a little concerning.

TT: I think it’s kind of hilarious.

TT: I have personally attended 13 gatherings held in my honor just to see their faces.

TT: They were suitably terrified.

GG: hahahaha

GG: did you get pictures??

TT: Of course.

TT: I’ll show them to you at John’s birthday party.

GG: yay!! :D

GG: i better get back to shopping, i still need to get one more thing.

TT: I’ll see you then. Good hunting.

\---- tentacleTherapist (TT) has ceased pestering gardenGnostic (GG)\---

 

Jade stood back up and swiveled her ears around. She couldn’t hear anyone at the base of building, so she dropped down again, and walked to her final destination. Luckily for her, she wasn’t too far off and got there in a few minutes. She approached a small, out of the way shop that Jade frequently visited called “The Bastion.”

The door opened with a soft bell ringing.

“Welcome!” a muffled voice said from somewhere in the back of the store, “I’ll be there here soon!”

The was the sound of papers being shuffled and things being moved around. Jade looked around the shop as she waited for the owner. It was a quaint place Jade had discovered when she was wandering around Can Town for the first time. It was a music store, seemingly untouched by time. A variety of different instruments, acoustic and electric, hung on one wall, while on the other a variety of clothing items hung. Most of them had really bad music puns, ugly Christmas sweater style. It also had a wide variety of sheet music and tabs written out by the owner, who had just opened the door.

“Oh hey Jade!” She said, grinning.

“Hi Radiam!” Jade replied, hugging her. Radiam was one of the few friends Jade had outside of the other people she played SBURB with. She was a troll with short cut hair and small curved horns. She had a plain pink tee on with a black jacket. The symbol for Pluto in the color of her blood, jade, was emblazoned on the back of the jacket. She also had a grey skirt on and white-knee high socks. Like most jade-bloods, she was very fashionable. It made jade slightly jealous that she didn’t have her sense of style, but it didn’t matter to her much.

Radiam was always kind to Jade, and never tried to pressure Jade into doing things for her, like signatures or anything. Over the course of the last year, Jade had spent a lot of time here, and had grown very close to Radiam. Jade would often come here to relax and play some music after a stressful day.

“How can I help you today?” Radiam said, releasing Jade from the hug.

“Well I’m getting John a birthday present and I thought I’d get him a sweater with a shitty pun on it. I think he’d love that!” Jade said, browsing the wall with all the sweaters on it.

“I bet he would. I mean who doesn’t love shitty puns?” Radiam said with a smirk.

“Exactly!” Jade exclaimed, her ears pricking forward as she turned to Radium, her eyes sparkling.

Radiam laughed and took down a sweater. “How bout this one?” she asked, holding it up. “Piano is not my forte” was inscribed in bright red letters on the front with a blue background.

Jade laughed and pointed to one that said “You’re in treble now” with a treble cleft on it. Radiam snorted with laughter and pulled another one down. This cycle continued for several minutes, until both Jade and Radiam were clutching their side from laughter and wiping tears out of their eyes. Finally, they decided on the one that said “I found the Rebel Bass” with a bass guitar shaped like the Millennium Falcon on the back.

Still reeling from laughter, Jade followed Radiam back to the check out counter and paid for the sweater.

“Well, I suppose I better get going,” Jade said, lingering at the counter. For some reason, she didn’t want to leave. It felt like something was being left unsaid, or something was missing.

“I suppose… Tell John I said happy birthday!” Radium said, smiling, but Jade could see a bit of sadness in her eyes. Then, Jade had an excellent idea.

“You should come with me!” Jade said, grabbing Radiam’s hand excitedly.

“What??” Radiam said, shocked. She was also blushing slightly, a jade flush coming to her cheeks.

“I mean you don’t have to, but then you can tell John in person! I’m sure he’d love to meet you! I mean I talk about you all the time to him,” Jade said. Her ear were pointed straight forward, and her tail was wagging slightly.

“I-I mean I could but I’d have to close the shop…” Radiam’s voice dropped off has Jade’s ears drooped and her tail stopped.

“Oh, ok that’s fine!” Jade said, trying her best to smile, but she was obviously disappointed, “I understand, Don’t worry about it!”

Radiam’s heart lurched when she saw jade so downcast. It was very rare to see her so sad. Most of the time, Jade was usually a very vibrant person, even when she was having a hard time. Radiam’s heart couldn’t take it anymore.

“But, I don’t mind! Hardly anyone ever comes in after this time anyway. I’ll gladly come with you!” Radiam said, “But could I get changed, first? I mean I’m meeting the-” She was interrupted by Jade pulling her by the hand.

“Don’t worry about it, we are all gonna be dressed like this! I’ll help you close up!”

Radiam laughed and hit the lights as she was pulled past them. Jade pulled her out the door onto the quiet street. Radiam turned and locked the door behind her. At this point Jade had calmed down, but her ears were still pricked forward.

“Ok, I’m ready. How are we going to get there?” Radiam asked, looking up and down the street for a car or something.

“Well, I was just going to teleport there, but I’m not sure you can survive that, so why don’t we fly instead?” Jade said, nonchalantly.

Radiam’s jaw almost dropped, but she kept her cool. “Um, sure! I’ve never flown before, though.”

“It’s a blast! I think it’s one of the best things ever. Come here, you’ll need to hold on to me,” Jade said, beckoning Radiam over.

Radiam’s heart lurched, and she felt her cheeks heat up, but the sparkle in Jade’s eyes wouldn’t let her refuse. She approached Jade and wrapped an arm around her neck. Jade slipped an arm around her back, and scooped Radiam up, carrying her princess style. Radiam squeaked slightly as she was literally swept off her feet. She was blushing furiously now.

“Sorry, this is the easiest way to fly with you,” Jade said. There was a slight redness to Jade’s cheeks, too, “Ready?”

Radiam nodded, holding her other arm to her chest.

“Then let’s go!”

Jade took off like a rocket, accelerating very quickly into the sky. Radiam screamed and buried her head into Jade’s neck, clutching onto her with both arms. A laugh bubbled out of Jade as she felt butterflies in her stomach. That feeling was one that she could never get used to; the tingling feeling in her stomach that could only be achieved by going very, very fast.

Soon, they had reached a cruising altitude and Jade leveled off. She had formed a small bubble around them that made it so the air resistance didn’t shred them. Radiam still had her head buried in Jade’s neck, and her eyes were squeezed shut. She was close enough that Jade could smell her shampoo.

_Holy cow, she’s so cute,_ Jade thought for a moment before blushing and pushing the thought out of her head.

“Hey, open your eyes,” Jade said, looking down at her. Radiam slowly peeked her eyes open, and slowly looked down. Her eyes went wide at the sight below her.

Can Town’s sprawling expanse spread out for miles, the bustling cars, trains, and people little more than speck from their vantage point several miles above the city. The moved quickly over the city, and soon were over the rolling plains that fed it. Vast fields or grains and vegetables and fruits in neat squares, giving it the appearance of a grid. Suddenly, a shadow covered them, and Radiam looked up to see the hull of one of the massive spaceship that patrolled the skies and stars beyond them. Jade saw her awestruck face and smiled. Radiam leaned her head against Jade again and sighed, taking the sights in. She had relaxed a lot since they had first taken off, and Jade felt her heart beating hard in her chest, But she couldn’t figure out why.

“You see this everyday?” Radiam asked. The wind inside Jade’s bubble was minuscule, just enough to make Jade’s hair float gently, so she spoke normally.

“Almost. When I can, I like to fly like this,” Jade replied.

“Do you ever get sick of it?”

Jade looked down at Radiam in her arms. She had a dreamy look in her eyes and was completely relaxed. Her hair formed a dark halo in the calm breeze. Her head rested gently on Jade’s shoulder, and her arms hung loosely around Jade’s neck.

Jade had seen many amazing and beautiful things. The had seen the birth and death of stars, super-volcanoes erupting, strange and fantastical worlds in dream bubbles. She had witnessed the birth of the Universe itself, the endless cycle of creation and destruction.

But in this moment, she had never seen anything more beautiful than the girl in her arms.


	2. Past Scars

Jade and Radiam alighted softly on the well manicured lawn of John’s house. Jade set Radiam down and giggled as she stumbled slightly.

“It’s a little disorientating at first,” Jade said, hooking Radiam’s arm in one of hers, “Don’t worry, you’ll get your land legs back soon.”

Radiam smiled and leaned into Jade a little, stabilizing herself. Together they approached the door, stopping just before it. Jade once again regarded the colored bands on her fingers to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything, but pricked her ears up. She couldn’t hear any voices inside the house. Suddenly, she heard a crash and the distinct sound of glass breaking, and a hammer clattering to the ground.

“Did you hear that?” Jade asked Radiam, who was still a little wobbly.

“Hear what?”

Jade didn’t reply and instead opened the door. The door swung open silently. Stepping inside, Jade panned her ears around, listening. From the kitchen, she heard the sound of someone breathing heavily. She rushed to the kitchen and gasped when she arrived.

John stood at the kitchen counter, leaning over it. His shoulder shook with each breathe. The air around him swirled menacing, making the cupboard doors rattle and shake. Jade looked at the hammer on the ground to the shattered phone. John’s hammer had not only punched a hole in the phone, but also shattered the solid marble countertops.

“John…” Jade said softly. She started walking towards him slowly.

John whipped around, and Jade stopped. His face was contorted in anger. John’s eyes glimmered with burning rage. Every aspect of his face was filled with hatred and fear. But when he saw Jade and Radiam standing awkwardly behind her, his eyes widened, and the unsettling air currents around him stopped.

“Oh… Hey Jade,” he said. Suddenly, John seemed defeated. He leaned against the cupboards behind him and slid down them. He sat on the floor and regard his hands; they were shaking slightly. He also seemed to be slightly diffused, like he was fading into wind, which sent a chill down Jade’s spine.

Jade turned to Radiam and slimed sadly. Radiam nodded and went back through the door where they came in. Jade sat down in front of John, crossing her legs.

“What happened, John?” Jade said quietly.

“Caliborn messaged me on Chumsnap,” John said. His voice was monotone and bleak, so different from how it usually was. He drew his knees to his chest and put his hands in his hair. “I thought we would never have to see him or here from him again with his creepy ass pool eyes. But he still managed to find me. So I panicked and smashed my phone.”

Jade listened to him without saying anything. It was puzzling in a way that Caliborn chose now to send them messages. Cross-session communication is possible, but this was different. Before, they have just been in different universes. But now they were in a universe between universes, like the empty space between the sessions that Jade crossed on the Skaian battleship and the others crossed on the meteor. Communication should have been impossible.

“John, Lord English is dead. The Caliborn that contacted you is one from a different point in time before he matured into English. He might still be able to contact us, but he can never get to us, I promise. That’s what we worked so hard for and fought for! Come on, it’s your birthday!! Everyone is going to be here, soon, I just showed up early. Let’s have some fun and get it off your mind!” Jade stood and stretched. She offered her hand to John and smiled.

John look up at her and sighed before smiling back, taking her hand. He was still shaky, but he no longer looked like he was in the stratosphere. His form became for distinct, more solid.

“You’re right. Letting him get under my skin is what he wants,” John said.

“Hey! I brought someone I want you to meet!” Jade said, pulling John in the living room where Radiam was. She was idly looking at the pictures on the wall. Jade pulled John up to Radiam, who jumped slightly.

“John, this is Radiam, the friend of mine who runs that music shop I always hang out at,” Jade said, her voice filled with excitement, “And Radiam, this is John, my really good friend!”

“Nice to meet you, finally,” John said, extending his hand, “Jade talk about you all the time.”

Radiam shook John’s hand calmly, but inside she was barely holding it together. The day had been… flustering, to say the least.

“It’s good to meet you as well,” She said. John looked at her as he scratched his chin. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and his eyes flicked between Jade and Radiam.

“Are you and Jade, perhaps, maybe, da–” John started.  

“Oh yeah!” Jade said, interrupting John. There was a slight red tinge to her face. She pulled John’s new phone out of her sylladex, “Here is one of your birthday presents! Good thing I got it!”

John raised his eyebrows, but didn’t finish his sentence. He took the phone and laughed, saying, “Now that’s just uncanny. But thank you!”

“Of course! Although I had no idea you’d need a new one!” Jade laughed, “I guess I’m just lucky!”

As soon as she said that, Jade’s ear pricked up, swiveling towards the door. Out side, she heard the sound of someone landing on the ground, as well as the unmistakable sound of Karkat yelling and Dave laughing at him.

“Dave and Karkat are here!” Jade said before running out the door to greet them, leaving Radiam and John in the living room. Not knowing what else to do, Radiam started to follow Jade when John spoke.

“Hey, sorry about that show, and Jade leaving you to stand out by yourself,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. His eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen, pure sky blue that seemed to shift and glimmer. They reminded Radiam of a thunderhead; fluffy and soft from a distance, but with indescribable power. “I’m not sure how much she has told you about her past, but she’s been through a lot. Social things like this sometimes fly over her head. So be patient with her, she means the best.”

“I will, I promise,” Radiam said, not knowing what else to say. The way John had said it had a hidden meaning behind it. Radiam could tell that he had meant it as an encouragement, but as a warning as well. _Take advantage of her, and you will know no peace._ Radiam was suddenly very aware that she was standing in the same room as one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

“Come on, Let’s go meet the others,” John said, walking towards the door, motioning for Radiam to follow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. A lot of things have happened since i last updated, like the extended Zodiac and such. im not going to change the story to match it. I don't like retconning. but enjoy! please let me know if you enjoy it in the comments, or if you have any suggestions, i'm not flawless and the homestuck lore is so twisted that it's hard to remeber everything. Thank you for Reading! I'll try to be more regular with the updates

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this! I'm going to be updating this biweekly, on Saturdays. If you ahve any questions, please leave a comment and i will answer them. Thanks!


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